Newsletters are a great way to build customer relationships and drive new sales, but many of them fail to do so. I believe this is because they do not properly engage their readers. Instead, they attempt to bludgeon them with dry facts, figures and product details in the hope that something of what they're trying to sell will get through.

James Villas, for example, recently sent me an e-newsletter that contained nothing but special holiday deals. That's not a newsletter; that's spam.

As with any publication, the trick to producing a successful newsletter, whether it's printed or electronic, is to make people want to read it. This is by far the most important consideration, because if people don't read your newsletter there's no point in you producing it. You have to provide your readers with entertaining or at least interesting pieces that will hook them. In fact, the more hooks, the better. As well as entertaining articles, there can be competitions and compelling links to pages on the company's website.

Some companies might think that such a tabloid approach would not sit well with their image, but this is a matter of tone. The Times works hard at selling itself; it just doesn’t shout as loudly as the Sun.

As an award-winning copywriter I understand how to hook people, and as a journalist I know how to find and tell compelling stories. Here are two brief examples.

On the face of it, a leading interpreting and translations company I consulted with didn't have anything very interesting to say in their newsletter. When I discovered that they had a database of 3,000 translators and interpreters, I suggested that they mined this potentially rich seam for stories by offering a bottle of champagne to any employee who had their story included in the newsletter.

Similarly, a company that supplied products and services to the hotel industry couldn't find anything entertaining to include in their e-newsletter. Trawling the internet, I unearthed a surprising number of quirky facts about hotels (e.g., the Sheraton chain goes through a million toilet rolls a year) and suggested scattering these through the publication to engage the reader. I also suggested including the story of a world famous hotel in each issue. Anyone who's read the history of Raffles Hotel in Singapore will know that many hotels have compelling stories to tell.

Every company has something interesting to say. They just need to take the time and the trouble to find it. It pays to engage your customers.

Naturally, newsletters should be designed in a way that is consistent with the brand, but the designer should work (nearly) as hard as the writer to encourage people to read the contents. I can work with my own Mac designer or give the stories to yours.

E-newsletters can be designed inside emails with embedded links to the site, or sent out as a .pdf attachment.

To see examples of the two most recent e-newsletters I've produced, click on either of the links below.

GE Money newsletter .pdf

Donaldsons newsletter .pdf

If you'd like to discuss your newsletter requirements with me, please click on mick@micksands.com